Truck and ladder



(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 1,

J. L. CRAFTS.

TRUCK AND LADDER.

N0. 379 053. Patents a 6, 1888.

PQ/JEZFQFRI N TEES, mnwulm m. Washinglon, ac.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J'.L.CRAPTS.

- TRUCK AND LADDER.

l/ I 1/ l Patented M g,

PF umunm" N4 FKTERS. Photalnlmgrapher, Wilm ngton, LG I (No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 J..L. CRAFTS.

TRUCK AND LADDER.

No. 379,053. Patented Mar. 6, 1888.

WITNEBEEEI QDKM N. PETERS. Plwlo-Ulhagmphcr. Wmhinglm n.0,

(No Model.) 5 sneets -sn'eet J. L. CRAFTS. A TRUCK AND LADDER. NQ E S 'YQOSB. F ilg'wnted Mar. 6 28,88.

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N, PETERS. Phum-Umogmpher, Washington, D. a

i (No Modem 5 SheetsShe et-5.'

J. L. CRAFTS.

TRUCK AND-LADDER.

,N0.379,053. V Patented Mar.6,1888.

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-WITNEE5E5I N PETE 1S. Phnlo-Lilhogrzphu, Washington, D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN L. CRAFTS, OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

TRUCK AND LADDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.379,053, dated March 6, 1888.

Application filed November 14, 1887. Serial No. 255,110. (No model.)

' To all whom it may concern.-

Beitknown that I, J OHN'L. CRAFTS, of Somerville, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trucks and Ladders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has-for its object to provide an extensible ladder and a truck or carriage therefor, the construction being such that the ladder can be easily and quickly moved from a horizontal position on the truck to a vertical position, or to any desiredinclination at either side of the truck, and held securely at any position to which it may be raised, and can also be readily lengthened and shortened, as well as readily disconnected from the truck when in a raised position, so that after the ladder is placed in position the truck can be removed, if desired.

To these ends the invention consists in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of my improved truck and ladder, the ladder being lowered and in position for transportation. Fig. 2 represents a top view of the same. Fig. 3 represents an end view showing the ladder in full lines partially raised and moved to one side of the truck and in dotted lines raised to a vertical position and resting at its lower end on the ground. Fig. 4 representsa perspective view of a portion of the ladder and of a portion of the crane to which it is jointed. Fig. 5 represents a detail view showing the connection of the pulley that guides the ladder-elevating rope. Fig. 6 represents a top view of the truck and ladder when the same are in the condition shown in Fig. 3, the upper portion of theladder being removed. Fig. 7 represents a front view of the rotary crane which supports the ladder. Fig. 8 represents a section on line as m, Fig. 7. Fig. 9 represents a side view of a part of the truck, show ing one of the clamps that grasp the bracerods of the ladder. Figs. 10 to 15, inclusive, represent views of the ladder.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

wheels and provided with the usual appliances whereby horses may be attached to it. To the upper edges of the side pieces of the body a is securely attached a horizontal circular track, I), on which the base or carrier 0 of a crane or ladder-holder, d, is adapted to rotate. Said base or carrier is composed of a frame of suitable strength resting on the track I), and is adapted to rotate on a fixed vertical pin or bolt, 6, at the center of said track, while the crane d is connected at one end by a pivot, f, with ears on the carrier 0, and is thus adapted to be raised and lowered at its opposite end, which is supported by a right-and-left screw, 9, the lower part of which works in athreaded socket on a bar, h, journaled in bearings in the carrier 0, while the upper part worksin a threaded socket in a bar, 2', which is adapted to turn in bearings on the crane cl. The screw 9 has a hand-wheel, j, whereby it may be rotated, and when rotated it gives the free end of the crane a rapid upward or downward motion, as the case may be.

76 represents the main or lower section of the ladder, which is jointed or pivotally connected at a point near its lower end with the movable end of the crane, so that the ladder can rest horizontally on the truck, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, or be turned to a vertical or inclined position, as hereinafter explained. I prefer to make the ladder readily detachable from as well as capable of swinging or tilting on the crane, and to this end I provide the ladder with a rod, Z, adapted to rotate in the side pieces of the ladder, and, if desired, to serve as one of the rungs. To said rod are attached two hooks, m m, adapted to grasp a horizontal rod or bolt, n, attached to the vertically-rnovo able end of the crane. The side pieces of the ladder are provided with lugs 0 0, between which are slots which receive the crane-rod n, as shown in Fig. 4.

When the ladder is placed'so that its lugs o o and hooks m m are engaged with the rod n, as

shown in Fig. 4, the lad der is secured to the crane and is adapted to swingthereon in a vertical plane; but when the hooks m m are disengaged from the rod n, as'they may be by turning the rod Z by means of a lever, p, attached thereto, (see Fig. 15,) the ladder may be readily detached from the crane. The hooks are held in the position shown in Fig. 4 by the engagement of the handle with a catch or shoulder, q, on one of the side pieces of the ladder, and when the hooks are to be thrown out of said position the handle has to be first disengaged from said catch.

0 represents a rest at the front end of the truck-body, on which the forward end of the ladder rests when the ladder is placed horizontally, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and 8 represents a similar rest for the rear end of the ladder at the rear end of the truck-body. The forward rest, -r, is composed of two standards attached to the truck-body and a horizontal cross-bar attached to said standards. The upper ends of the standards project above the cross-bar and constitute chocks or guards which prevent the ladder from slipping off the rest. Said rest is also provided with sockets t t, to hold the ends of brace-rods a a, which are jointed to the upper ends of the side pieces of the ladder.

Journaled in bearings under the truck-body is a shaft, w, to which is affixed a drum, a. To said drum is attached one end of a rope or chain, 1), which passes through a pulley-block, c, swiveled to the step d atone side of the truck, and is secured at its other end to one.

of the rungs or other suitable part of the ladder near the lower end thereof, or that end which is at the forward end of the truck when the ladder is in the position shown in Fig. 1.

The shaft 10 has aworn1-gear,c,which meshes with a worm, f, on a shaft, 9, extendingcross wise of the truck-body and journaled in bearings attached thereto. The shaft gis provided with hand-wheels h it, or cranks, at its ends, so that it may be rotated by aperson at either side of the truck.

The operation of the parts described is as follows: Theladderbeinginthe position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the crane is first raised by the rotation of the right-and-left screwy until the forward end of the ladder is raised above the chocks or guards of the front rest, 1*. The crane is then turned horizontally to the position shown in Figs. 3 and 6 by pushing or pulling the ladder or by both pushing and pulling, which may be done by grasping the bracerods a, and the drum a is at the same time rotated, so as to wind the rope 1) upon it, and thus turn the ladder on the pivot-rod a of the crane until the ladder assumes a vertical position or any desired inclination. The crane is then lowered by means of the rightand-left screw 9 until the lower end of the ladder rests on the ground, as indicated by dotted linesin Fig. 3. The brace-rods u are then secured by clamps z" 1; at the ends of thetruck. The ladder may, however, be detached from the truck, which may be moved away, leaving the ladder leaning against a building orsupported wholly by the brace-rods.

It will be seen that the vertical adj ustability of the crane enables the ladder to be raised and lowered both when in a horizontal and in a vertical position, so that it can be raised from and lowered to the front rest,r,and also raised from and lowered to the ground. If desired, the truck may be moved while the latter is in a vertical position and before it has been lowered to rest on the ground, so that in case the ladder is needed in a street or place which is too narrow to permit the described movements of the ladder required to raise it the raising operation may be performed elsewhere, and the ladder may be then transported by the truck to the place for use and then be lowered to a bearing on the ground.

The carrier 0 of the crane is provided with metallic feet jj, Fig. 8, which rest on the track I) and make the friction caused by the turning of the crane less than it would be if the entire under surface of the carrier were in contact with the track. The carrier is also provided with a bolt, Z, Fig. 7, which is pressed downwardly by a spring, m, and engages an orilice, 0, in the track when the crane is turned at right angles with the body of the truck. The track is provided with two orifices, 0- one at each side of the truckso that the crane can be locked at either side of the truck.

The clamps i, which hold the brace-rods u, are composed of bars 2, aflixed to the truckbody, and bars 3, pivoted at 4 to cars 5, affixed to the truck body. The bars 2 3 have beveled faces formed to bear against the brace-rods, as shown in Fig. 9. The pivoted bars 3 are pressed against said rods by clamping-nuts 6 6, working on screws 7 7.

The base or lower section, k, of the ladder is provided at its lower portion with a hollow rung, p, which is preferably of an inverted-U shape in cross-section, as shown in Fig. 11, and has two sprocket-Wheels, q q, journaled in it, the arbors of said wheels being at right angles with the hollow rung and provided with cranks 9', which are preferably detachable from said arbor. A chain, 8, one end of which is attached to an car, a, on the sliding or upper section, k of the ladder, passes downwardly through an orifice near one end of the rung p, and is engaged with said sprocketwheels and passes upwardly over a pulley, t, journaled in bearings in another rung or crosspiece near the upper end of the lower section of the ladder, and passes from said pulleyblock to the ear to of the upper section, as shown in Figs. 10, 11, and 14.

It will be seen that when thesprocketwheels q q are rotated, so as to impel the chain in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 11, the upper section of the ladder will be raised, and vice versa. The arrangement of the sprocket-wheels q q and pulley t with their axes at right angles with the rungs of the ladder I believe to be new, as heretofore, so far as I am aware, such devices have had their axes parallel with the rungs of the ladder.

It will be seen that by my arrangement I am enabled to use much larger wheels than could be otherwise used, and am therefore enabled to raise the upper section, k with greater case than heretofore.

Instead of employing one wheel t at the up- ITO per portion of the lower section of the ladder, I may employ two smaller wheels arranged like the sprocket-wheels q g. It is obvious that one sprocket-wheel q may be used instead of two.

'0 represents a detachable seat placed on the forward end of the ladder for the driver of the truck.

The body of the truck may contain a number of extra ladders, w, as shown in Fig. 1.

The sprocket-wheels q are preferably provided with square sockets (1 which extend through the shafts of said wheels, the cranks 0" being detachablyinserted in said sockets, so that they can be inserted and operated from either side of the ladder.

It will be seen that the parts of the chain extending lengthwise of the ladder are, by the described arrangement of the wheels, located close to the side pieces of the ladder, so that the rungs are not materially obstructed by said parts.

I claim-- 1. The combination of the truck, the cranecarrier adapted to rot-ate horizontally thereon, the crane pivoted to said carrier, means for raising and lowering the crane, the ladder jointed to the crane, and means, substantially as described, for swinging the ladder toward and from a vertical position, as set forth.

2. The combination of the truck, the cranecarrier adapted to rotate horizontally thereon, the vertically-adj ustable crane pivoted to said carrier, the ladder pivoted to the swinging end of the crane, means for raising and lowering the crane, the drum journaled in bearings on the truck, means for rotating the drum, and the rope connecting the drum with the lower portion of the ladder, as set forth.

3. The combination of the truck having the circular horizontal track, the crane-carrier pivoted to rotate on said track, the crane pivoted to said carrier, the ladder pivoted to the swinging end of said crane, and means for vertically adjusting the swinging end of the crane, as set forth.

4. The combination of the truck having the horizontal track, the crane-carrier pivoted to rotate on said track, the ladder-supporting crane pivoted to said carrier, and the rightand-left screw working in nuts on the carrier and crane, whereby the crane may be quickly adjusted, as set forth.

5. The combination of the truck, the horizontally rotatable and vertically adjustable crane mounted on said truck, and the ladder having the lugs'oo and hooks m m, adapted to engage a rod or bar, a, on the crane, as set forth.

6. The combination of the truck having the rest 1", the rotatable and vertically-adjustable crane mounted on the truck, the ladder jointed to the crane, and means (the right-and-1eft screw) for moving the crane vertically to engage the ladder with and remove it from the rest r, as set forth.

7. The truck provided with the clamps 6', combined with the crane mounted to rotate on the truck and the ladder jointed to the crane and provided with brace-rods u u, adapted to be held by said clamps, as set forth.

, 8. A ladder-section having wheels, as qt, arranged between the side pieces with their axes at right angles with the rungs of the ladder, as set forth.

9. The combination of a main ladder-section having wheels, as q t, arranged between the side pieces with their axes at right angles with the rungs of the ladder, a section adapted to slide on the main section, and a chain or rope secured to the sliding section and engaged with the wheels of the main section, as set forth.

10. The ladder -section having sprocketwheels q q and a chain or rope guiding pulley, t, all arranged between the side pieces of the ladder with their axes at right angles with the rungs thereof, as set forth.

11. Theladder-section7c,having the sprocketwheels q q and pulley t, arranged, as described, between the sides of the section and with their axes at right angles with the rungs thereof,

combined with the sliding section and the chain secured to said sliding section and running upon the said sprocket-wheels and pulley, as set forth.

12. The ladder-section 70, having the U shaped rung or cross-bar p, and the cranked sprocket-wheels journaled in the sides of said rung, as set forth.

l3. Theladder-section having the sprocketwheels q, arranged, as described, between the side pieces with their shafts at right angles with the rungs of the ladder and having sockets in said shafts to receive removable cranks.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification,in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 27th day of October, A. D. 1887.

JOHN L. CRAFTS.

Witnesses:

O. F. BROWN, ARTHUR W. CRossLEY. 

